Peter Dinklage – MovieActors.com

Dinklage in Game of Thrones.

About Peter Dinklage (1969 – )

Dinklage was born in Morristown, New Jersey, the son of John Carl Dinklage, a retired insurance salesman, and Diane Dinklage, an elementary school music teacher. He was born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism. He grew up in Mendham Township, New Jersey, and is of German, English, and Irish descent.

Dinklage got his first taste of theatrical success in a fifth grade production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Playing the lead, he was delighted by the audience's response to the show. "When you get your first solo bow, that feels pretty good," he explained to People. Dinklage graduated from Delbarton School, a Catholic prep school for boys, in 1987 where he continued to develop his acting as part of the school's drama club. He then attended Bennington College where he appeared in numerous productions before graduating in 1991.

Dinklage made his film debut in Living in Oblivion (1995) as a frustrated actor with dwarfism who complains about his clichéd roles. His breakout role was in the 2003 film The Station Agent, for which he received Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actor. That same year, he appeared in the direct-to-DVD film Tiptoes. Dinklage has also starred in several Off-Broadway productions. Dinklage appeared in the 2003 film Elf, as Miles Finch, an irritable children's author who beats up Buddy Hobbs (Will Ferrell) after he is unintentionally insulted. In 2005, he starred in the short-lived CBS science fiction series Threshold and appeared as a wedding planner in the comedy film The Baxter. In 2006, Dinklage appeared in the courtroom drama Find Me Guilty and episodes of Nip/Tuck. He played himself in one episode of the HBO television series Entourage and appeared in the NBC series 30 Rock.

Dinklage appeared in the 2007 British comedy film Death at a Funeral, reprising the role in the 2010 American remake. Later in 2007, he played the villainous Simon Bar Sinister in Underdog. Dinklage played Trumpkin in the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, although film critic Bill Gibron described his role as a "cutesy stereotype he has tried to avoid". In the summer of 2008, he played the title role in Uncle Vanya (directed by his wife, Erica Schmidt) in Bard College's annual Bard SummerScape, the Upstate New York summer stage on the Annandale-on-Hudson campus. In 2010 he appeared in the Australian movie "I Love You Too" alongside Brendan Cowell and Peter Helliar.

Dinklage plays Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones, an adaptation of author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. His performance has received widespread praise, highlighted by his receiving the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, as well as the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. As a result of his performance and increased screen time, Dinklage was given top billing starting in the series' second season. In 2014, he said on The Late Show with David Letterman that he had once tried to read the books the show is based upon, but got confused. He joked, "George Martin, our author, is probably going to kill my character soon because I mentioned that."

In 2012, Dinklage voiced Captain Gutt in Ice Age: Continental Drift. In 2014, he starred in the comedy horror film Knights of Badassdom and portrayed Bolivar Trask in the superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past. He also voiced Ghost in the 2014 video game Destiny, but was replaced by Nolan North in August 2015 due in part to availability issues and "Hollywood nonsense". Dinklage and writer-director Sacha Gervasi spent several years writing and producing a film based on the final days of actor Hervé Villechaize, who committed suicide shortly after his 1993 interview with Gervasi. Dinklage will star and play the title role in My Dinner with Hervé. He will also star in O Lucky Day, which is to be directed by Adam Shankman and is said to be a "leprechaun comedy". In 2015, Dinklage starred in the movie Pixels as a former arcade champion named Eddie Plant.

In 2005, Dinklage married Erica Schmidt, a theatre director. They have a daughter together born in 2011. The family lives in Manhattan.

Dinklage learned early on that he had a form of dwarfism, achondroplasia, which affects bone growth. As a result, he is 4 ft 5 in (1.35 m) tall, with a normal-sized head and torso but short limbs. While Dinklage has come to accept his condition, he found it challenging sometimes while growing up. In 2003, he said: "When I was younger, I definitely let it get to me. As an adolescent, I was bitter and angry, and I definitely put up these walls. But the older you get, you realize you just have to have a sense of humor. You just know that it's not your problem. It's theirs." When asked in 2012 whether he saw himself as "a spokesman for the rights of little people," Dinklage responded: "I don't know what I would say. Everyone's different. Every person my size has a different life, a different history. Different ways of dealing with it. Just because I'm seemingly okay with it, I can't preach how to be okay with it. I don't think I still am okay with it. There are days when I'm not."

Dinklage has been a vegetarian since the age of 16, he supports Farm Sanctuary and has served as the spokesperson for the organization's Walk for Farm Animals. He also narrated the video Face your Food, a film advocating a vegan diet on ethical grounds.

Peter Dinklage's movie credits include...

Year

Movie

Role

1995

Living in Oblivion

Tito

1996

Bullet

Building manager

1998

Safe Men

Leflore

1999

Pigeonholed

Roy

2001

Never Again

Harry Appleton

2001

Human Nature

Frank

2002

13 Moons

Binky

2002

Just a Kiss

Dink

2003

Elf Miles

Finch

2003

The Station Agent

Finbar McBride

2003

Tiptoes

Maurice

2004

Surviving Eden

Sterno

2004

89 Seconds at Alcázar

Mari Babola

2004

Jail Bait

Lindo

2005

The Baxter

Benson Hedges

2005

Escape Artists

Mr. Duff

2005

Lassie

Rowlie

2005

Fortunes

Mike Kirkwood

2006

The Limbo Room

Dusty Spitz

2006

Find Me Guilty

Ben Klandis

2006

Penelope

Lemon

2006

Little Fugitive

Sam Norton

2007

Ascension Day

Brantly

2007

Death at a Funeral

Peter

2007

Underdog

Dr. Simon Barsinister

2008

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Trumpkin

2009

Saint John of Las Vegas

Mr. Townsend

2010

Death at a Funeral

Frank

2010

The Last Rites of Ransom Pride

Dwarf

2010

I Love You Too

Charlie

2010

Pete Smalls Is Dead

K.C. Munk

2011

A Little Bit of Heaven

Vinnie

2012

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Captain Gutt (voice)

2013

A Case of You

Gerard

2013

Knights of Badassdom

Hung

2014

Low Down

Alain

2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Bolivar Trask

2014

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn

Aaron Altmann

2015

Taxi

Marc

2015

Pixels

Eddy Plant

2016

The Angry Birds Movie

The Mighty Eagle (voice)

Peter Dinklage's television credits include...

Year

Show/Series

Role

1995

Seinfeld

James's Telephone Voice

2001

Oz

Murder Victim

2001

The $treet

Little Person

2002

Third Watch

Drug Dealer

2004

I'm with Her

Elliot Rosen

2005

Life As We Know It

Dr. Belber

2005

Entourage

Himself

2005

Testing Bob

Robinson "Bob" Hart

2005–2006

Threshold

Arthur Ramsey

2006

Ultra

2006

Nip/Tuck

Marlowe Sawyer

2009

30 Rock

Stewart

2011–present

Game of Thrones

Tyrion Lannister

2013

Saturday Night Live

Peter Drunklage

2013

Sesame Street

Simon

2014

Family Guy

Mr. Stone (voice)

Memorable Quotes

“[on short stature] When I was younger, definitely, I let it get to me. As an adolescent, I was bitter and angry and I definitely put up these walls. But the older you get, you realize you just have to have a sense of humor. You just know that it's not your problem. It's theirs.”

“I like animals, all animals. I wouldn't hurt a cat or a dog - or a chicken or a cow. And I wouldn't ask someone else to hurt them for me. That's why I'm a vegetarian.”

“[after winning a Golden Globe for his performance in Game of Thrones (2011)] I was talking to my mother in Jersey before I came out and she said, "Have fun but have you seen Mildred Pierce (2011)? Guy Pearce is so good. He's gonna win." So... I haven't seen "Mildred Pierce" but I'm sure he's really good and I just love our moms because they keep us humble.”

“I think a lot of great male comic actors are introspective, quiet personalities, which I really admire. But they are really able to turn it up when the camera's on.”

“I was a sullen kid who smoked cigarettes and wore black every day, and I went to a school that was lacrosse players and Izods.”

“I spend my nights just sitting and reading a book and drinking my tea and walking my dog. That's about as exciting as my life gets.”

Did You Know

Is a vegetarian. Anytime you see him eating a meat product on screen, it is a tofu product (such as the tofu "beef" jerky, in The Station Agent.)

He was George R.R. Martin's first choice to play "Tyrion Lannister" in Game of Thrones.

For his role on Game of Thrones (2011), named one of the "Eight Actors Who Turn Television into Art," in cover story of The New York Times Magazine (9/11/11).

In his acceptance speech for the Golden Globe, Dinklage called attention to the plight of Martin Henderson, a dwarf who was crippled after being attacked by a rugby player outside a bar.

Studies theology.

Delivered the 2012 Commencement Address at his alma mater, Bennington College (Vermont). Dinklage is a 1991 graduate of Bennington College with a degree in drama.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011-Present).

Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent (2003)Bottom photo with Michelle Williams.